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. >> reporter: senator john mccain grilled chuck hagel about his opposition to the troop surge in iraq. >> and your refusal to answer whether you were right or wrong about it is going to have an impact on my judgment as to whether to vote for your confirmation or not. >> reporter: some republicans have said they won't support hagel. he tried to address their concern. >> i'm on the record many times in speeches and on the floor of the senate. in the book i wrote in 2008 says iran is a state sponsor of terrorism. >> reporter: hagel served as senator from nebraska for eight earring. during that time he made comments that are still under scrutiny. >> where we've been intimidated by the lobby to do something dumb. >> i can't give you any example. >> thank you. do you agree you shouldn't have said something like is that? >> yes, i do. >> reporter: if confirmed he'll be the first vietnam vet to lead the pentagon. >> i saw from the bottom. i see what happens. i saw the consequences and suffering and horrors of war. >> reporter: sam nunn strongly supports naegele's nomination. >> he comes from
. >> reporter: senator john mccain grilled chuck hagel about his opposition to the troop surge in iraq. >> and your refusal to answer whether you were right or wrong about it is going to have an impact on my judgment as to whether to vote for your confirmation or not. >> reporter: some republicans have said they won't support hagel. he tried to address their concern. >> i'm on the record many times in speeches and on the floor of the senate. in the book i wrote in 2008...
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mccain's presidential campaign when john mccain ran the first time. this is stunning. but i agree with you. i mean generally on something like this what will happen, the white house will come back and stoutly defend the guy and say they're being unfair to him, and they started -- they didn't say it on the record but they started leaking all these reports they were disappointed and all that. to me that's almost -- fellows if you've got a hard vote coming up here, we understand. >> how serious is the damage and does it derail the nomination? >> well, either it does or the white house is absolutely certain of every democratic vote in the senate. >> right. >> if it is, there are more democrats there than the republicans and they think he'll get confirmed by a narrow margin. but i find this like you, norah. i've never heard or seen the white house react quite the way they did to this. >> but everyone expected hagel would get a tough grill because of past comments he made about the iraq surge, questions he made about iran and questions he made about the quo
mccain's presidential campaign when john mccain ran the first time. this is stunning. but i agree with you. i mean generally on something like this what will happen, the white house will come back and stoutly defend the guy and say they're being unfair to him, and they started -- they didn't say it on the record but they started leaking all these reports they were disappointed and all that. to me that's almost -- fellows if you've got a hard vote coming up here, we understand. >> how...
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the treatment of john kerry by john mccain versus chuck hagel and john mccain is night and day. we have to leave it there, but after the break top republicans m house and senate part way on a key debt ceiling bill. will the intraparty scism end in heartburn or heart break? for over 75 years people have saved money with...ohhh... ...with geico... ohhh...sorry! director's voice: here we go. from the top. and action for over 75 years people have saved money with gecko so.... director's voice: cut it! ...what...what did i say? gecko? i said gecko? aw... for over 75 year...(laughs. but still trying to keep it contained) director's voice: keep it together. i'm good. i'm good. for over 75...(uncontrollable lahtuger). what are you doing there? stop making me laugh. vo: geico. saving people money for over seventy-five years. gecko: don't look at me. don't look at me. >>> the republican party is engaged in a fierce game of tug-of-war with itself. last week after speaker john boehner pleaded with his party to vote for a bill to extend the debt limit for three months, 33 members broke rank.
the treatment of john kerry by john mccain versus chuck hagel and john mccain is night and day. we have to leave it there, but after the break top republicans m house and senate part way on a key debt ceiling bill. will the intraparty scism end in heartburn or heart break? for over 75 years people have saved money with...ohhh... ...with geico... ohhh...sorry! director's voice: here we go. from the top. and action for over 75 years people have saved money with gecko so.... director's voice: cut...
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i can say, though, john mccain is one of the -- he is serious about all the issues. he is treating this nomination like everything he --s with great seriousness, and i commend him for that. >> we're just learning that at least the associated press and the boston globe both reporting that scott brown will not be running for the seat next toor to you in rhode island. what do you think of that, since he was widely viewed as the biggest challenge to a perspective democrat running for that open seat? of course, the john kerry seat. >> i -- all politics is local. i'm a little surprised, but i -- my reaction would be that he has made a decision. he knows better than anyone what's it like to serve in the senate, what is it like to run for the senate, and you have to thank him for his service and respect his decision. >> and back to the hagel situation and what's going to happen at d.o.d. we've been talking here about how his performance, assuming that he does get confirmed, does that weaken him going into the pentagon where there are a lot of sharks ready to attack? >> no, a
i can say, though, john mccain is one of the -- he is serious about all the issues. he is treating this nomination like everything he --s with great seriousness, and i commend him for that. >> we're just learning that at least the associated press and the boston globe both reporting that scott brown will not be running for the seat next toor to you in rhode island. what do you think of that, since he was widely viewed as the biggest challenge to a perspective democrat running for that...
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awkward at times. >> i mean, john mccain, mika, didn't let him answer a question. i'm sorry, out of that exchange, it was not chuck hagel who looked bad. >> ted cruz looked even worse. >> yeah. >> oh, my god. >> we're going to show all those coming up. >> he wasn't prepared, mika, in a lot of ways that were concerning. i think, again, the democrats, republicans, independents alike, if the republicans party thinks badgering an ill-prepared witness that way is going to help them with middle america, they don't know middle america. they could have just let him talk around in circles, but it was -- you know, you talk about the new senator from texas, john mccain -- >> i agree with you. >> as joe manchin said, it was embarrassing. >> compare it to a week ago, to a very prepared hillary clinton. whether badgering prepared or unprepared, badgering is not the way to go. >> having said that, the reviews are in. and they're pretty bad. >> horrible. >> senator marco -- well, some of them are partisan, but there are also we'll get to as well. the response to yesterday' hearing
awkward at times. >> i mean, john mccain, mika, didn't let him answer a question. i'm sorry, out of that exchange, it was not chuck hagel who looked bad. >> ted cruz looked even worse. >> yeah. >> oh, my god. >> we're going to show all those coming up. >> he wasn't prepared, mika, in a lot of ways that were concerning. i think, again, the democrats, republicans, independents alike, if the republicans party thinks badgering an ill-prepared witness that way is...
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the most heated exchange of the day came from a former close friend, senator john mccain who grilled hagel on opposing the 2007 u.s. troop surge in iraq. >> wiere you correct or incorret when you said that the surge would be the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since vietnam? were you correct or incorrect? yes or no? >> my reference to -- >> are you going to answer the question, senator hagel? the question is, were you right or wrong. that's a pretty straight forward question. >> well, i -- >> i would like the answer whether you're right or wrong and then you're free to elaborate. >> well, i'm not going to give you a yes or no answer. >> well, let the record show you refuse to answer that question. please go ahead. >> well, if you would like me to explain why -- >> actually, i would like an answer, yes or no? >> well, i'm not going to give you a yes or no. it's far more complicated than that. my answer is i'll defer that judgment to history. >> i think history has already made a judgment about the surge, sir. and you're on the wrong side of it. >> hagel was also
the most heated exchange of the day came from a former close friend, senator john mccain who grilled hagel on opposing the 2007 u.s. troop surge in iraq. >> wiere you correct or incorret when you said that the surge would be the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since vietnam? were you correct or incorrect? yes or no? >> my reference to -- >> are you going to answer the question, senator hagel? the question is, were you right or wrong. that's a pretty...
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john mccain seized on hagel's vocal opposition to the surge of troops in iraq in 2007. >> the question, senator hagel, the question is, were you right or wrong. that's a pretty straightforward question. >> well, i'm not going to give you a yes or no answer. >> reporter: hagel knew he who damage control to do. >> i should have used another term, and i'm sorry. >> reporter: over his 2008 comments related to israel that a, quote, jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people in congress. >> name one person, in your opinion, who is intimidated by the israeli lobby in the united states senate. >> well, first -- >> name one. >> i don't know. >> reporter: outside the hearing, senators of both parties were critical. >> i'm going to be candid. i think that chuck hagel is much more comfortable asking questions than answering them. >> i don't think it's going very well. >> reporter: hagel was repeatedly pressed by both democrats and republicans to make clear his commitment to israel's security. >> i strongly support israel. >> reporter: and clarify his stand on iran. hagel had voted against declaring
john mccain seized on hagel's vocal opposition to the surge of troops in iraq in 2007. >> the question, senator hagel, the question is, were you right or wrong. that's a pretty straightforward question. >> well, i'm not going to give you a yes or no answer. >> reporter: hagel knew he who damage control to do. >> i should have used another term, and i'm sorry. >> reporter: over his 2008 comments related to israel that a, quote, jewish lobby intimidates a lot of...
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one of the most damaging exchanges came from hagel's one-time friend and ally senator john mccain over hagel's opposition to the iraq troop surge. >> will you please answer the question, were you correct or incorrect when you said that the surge would be the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since vietnam. were you correct or incorrect? yes or no? >> my reference to the -- >> are you going to answer the question, senator hagel? the question is were you right or wrong? that's a pretty straightforward question. i would like to answer whether you were right or wrong and then you are free to elaborate. >> well, i'm not going to give you a yes or no answer. >> well it will show you refuse to answer this question. >> with us is host of "face the nation" and washington correspondent bob schieffer. the white house normally prep their nominees. what does this say about it? >> to me this is the most interesting and intreeging inginintriguing part of this whole deal. onormally the administration rushes out with the defense. he hardly left capitol hill yesterday when reports le
one of the most damaging exchanges came from hagel's one-time friend and ally senator john mccain over hagel's opposition to the iraq troop surge. >> will you please answer the question, were you correct or incorrect when you said that the surge would be the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since vietnam. were you correct or incorrect? yes or no? >> my reference to the -- >> are you going to answer the question, senator hagel? the question is were you...
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. >> john mccain's 2000 campaign when he ran for president is the most memorable campaign. i mean, of any that i've ever covered or been around. i mean, it was just -- we'll never, we'll never see it again. i mean, here he was, you know, facing george w. bush who had all the face cards of the republican party backing him, and the three republican governors in new hampshire and all the money, and john mccain went out and held 114 town meetings, and he stayed there until every or question was answered. and you'd see people, you'd see the lightbulb going off over people's head. when are we going to get the patient's bill of rights? and john mccain would say we're not going to get a patient's bill of rights as long as my party's owned by the trial lawyers. it was just this refreshing candor, and you'd see it in people's responses. and then he was totally open to the press. i mean, there was a candor and an opennesses and sort of a welcomeness that no one had seen before, and no one certainly has seen since. >> longtime columnist and political analyst mark shields on his career
. >> john mccain's 2000 campaign when he ran for president is the most memorable campaign. i mean, of any that i've ever covered or been around. i mean, it was just -- we'll never, we'll never see it again. i mean, here he was, you know, facing george w. bush who had all the face cards of the republican party backing him, and the three republican governors in new hampshire and all the money, and john mccain went out and held 114 town meetings, and he stayed there until every or question...
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[inaudible conversations] >> john mccain's 2000 campaign when he ran for president as the most memorable campaign of any that i have ever covered or been around. i mean it was just -- we will never see it again and here he was facing george w. bush to head off of face cards of the republican party backing him in the three republican governors of new hampshire and all the money and john mccain went out and held 114 town meetings. he stayed there until every question was answered. you would see the lightbulbs going off on people's heads. when will we get the patients bill of rights and john mccain would say we will never get a patients bill of rights as long as my party is on by the insurance company and the democrats are on by the trial lawyers. and it was just this refreshing candor and you could see it in people's responses. he. he was totally open to the press there was a candor and an openness and a welcome this that no one had seen before and no si. now secretary of state hillary clinton on the u.s. role in the world. she was at the council on foreign relations today for an hour and
[inaudible conversations] >> john mccain's 2000 campaign when he ran for president as the most memorable campaign of any that i have ever covered or been around. i mean it was just -- we will never see it again and here he was facing george w. bush to head off of face cards of the republican party backing him in the three republican governors of new hampshire and all the money and john mccain went out and held 114 town meetings. he stayed there until every question was answered. you would...
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the mccain institute after john mccain and part of their state university. it's about 90 minutes. >> tonight's event is open to the press and we are being covered by c-span and live streaming on the web site. to the state university where some students are watching as well as showing on tv. for those that used water feel free to tweet liberally and it is #miisyria. with that let me introduce the moderator in this department correspondence of cnn who together have a wonderful interview with clinton yesterday. thank you. over to elise. [applause] we have a lot of distinguished guests in the audience. the deputy chief of mission for the embassy of lebanon. a lot of people who care about syria and looks to be a lively discussion this evening. in august, 2011 secretary of state hillary clinton called for the president bashar al-assad to step down for the sake of the syrian people. at that time about 2,000 people were killed. today that number of u.n. estimates has risen to more than 60,000 syrian is dead, hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled to turkey and
the mccain institute after john mccain and part of their state university. it's about 90 minutes. >> tonight's event is open to the press and we are being covered by c-span and live streaming on the web site. to the state university where some students are watching as well as showing on tv. for those that used water feel free to tweet liberally and it is #miisyria. with that let me introduce the moderator in this department correspondence of cnn who together have a wonderful interview...
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john mccain asking hagel to admit he was wrong when he opposed the surge to the 30,000 troops to iraq in 2007. >> if you would like me to explain. >> i'd like an answer. yes or no. >> i'm not going to give you a question or no. it's par mu complicated than. thatly defer that judgment to history. >> history already made a judgment on the surge and you are on the wrong side of it. >> shepard: democrats defended him. >> i never had the pleasure of serving with you, which i wish i would have. we had a great conversation. you bring a fresh, breath of fresh air, truly a breath of fresh air to the process. >> if confirms senator hagel will be the first vietnam veteran and first enlisted soldier of any kind to be the defense secretary. >> he asked him to look at the entire record. mike emanuel on capitol hill tonight and some comments are getting more attention tonight. >> that is right. senator chuck hagel had a lot to defend and those close to him say it was a long day and it was not perfect. one line o grilling past comments he made sounding sympathetic to arabs and tough on israel. >> do
john mccain asking hagel to admit he was wrong when he opposed the surge to the 30,000 troops to iraq in 2007. >> if you would like me to explain. >> i'd like an answer. yes or no. >> i'm not going to give you a question or no. it's par mu complicated than. thatly defer that judgment to history. >> history already made a judgment on the surge and you are on the wrong side of it. >> shepard: democrats defended him. >> i never had the pleasure of serving with...
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eastern on c-span. >> and john mccain calls the 2010 campaign, when he ran for president, is the most memorable campaign of any that i have ever covered or been around. we will never see it again. here he was, facing george gabi bush, who had all the face cards of the republican party, the three republican governors in new hampshire, all the money, and john mccain went out and held 114 town hall meetings. he stayed there until every question was answered. you can see the light bulb going off in people's heads. when will we get a bill of rights? he said we will not get a patient's bill of rights, because my party is owned by the insurance companies and the other party is owned by the trial lawyers. it was refreshing bit of candor. he was open to the press. there was a candor and openness and welcoming -- a welcoming nature that nobody had seen before. >> longtime columnist and political analyst mark shields and his career in politics and the washington press corps. sunday night at 8:00 on c- span's 2 n/a." >> hillary clinton's last day as secretary of state is on friday. at the council
eastern on c-span. >> and john mccain calls the 2010 campaign, when he ran for president, is the most memorable campaign of any that i have ever covered or been around. we will never see it again. here he was, facing george gabi bush, who had all the face cards of the republican party, the three republican governors in new hampshire, all the money, and john mccain went out and held 114 town hall meetings. he stayed there until every question was answered. you can see the light bulb going...
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one of the most contentious moments came when senator john mccain asked whether the 2007 surge troop in iraq was successful. >> the question is, were you right or wroeng? that's a pretty straightforward question. i would like you to answer whether you are right or wrong and then you are free to elaborate. >> well, i'm not going to give you a yes or no answer on a lot of things. >> let the record show that you refuse to answer that question. now, please go ahead. >> well, if you would like me to explain why -- >> no, i actually would like an answer. yes or no. >> well, i'm not going to give you a yes or no. >> another hot topic at the hearing today, it was a 2006 interview that hagel gave to former middle east peace negotiator, erin david miller. now, in that interview, hagel said this. "the jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here." now, today of that comment about the "jewish lobby," hagel said categorically, i regret it. >> i've already said i regret referencing the jewish lobby. i should have said pro-israel lobby. i think it's the only time on the record that i've ever sa
one of the most contentious moments came when senator john mccain asked whether the 2007 surge troop in iraq was successful. >> the question is, were you right or wroeng? that's a pretty straightforward question. i would like you to answer whether you are right or wrong and then you are free to elaborate. >> well, i'm not going to give you a yes or no answer on a lot of things. >> let the record show that you refuse to answer that question. now, please go ahead. >> well,...
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today, his former close friend, arizona senator john mccain made clear, they haven't forgotten. >> were you correct or incorrect when you said that the surge would be the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since vietnam? were you correct or incorrect, s or no? >> my reference to the surge being the most dangerous. >> are you going to answer the question, senator hagel? the question is were you right or wrong? that's a pretty straightforward question. i would like an answer on whether you were right or wrong, then you're free to elaborate. >> well, i'm not going to give you a yes or no answer on a lot of things. >> well let the record show that you refused to answer the question. now please go ahead. >> well, if you'd like me to explain why ... >> i'd actuallyike an answer, yes or no? >> well, i'm not going to give you a yes or no. i think it's far more complicated than that, as i've already said. my answer is i'll defer that judgment to history. as to the comment i made about >> i think history has already made a judgment about the surge, sir, and you're on the wrong
today, his former close friend, arizona senator john mccain made clear, they haven't forgotten. >> were you correct or incorrect when you said that the surge would be the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since vietnam? were you correct or incorrect, s or no? >> my reference to the surge being the most dangerous. >> are you going to answer the question, senator hagel? the question is were you right or wrong? that's a pretty straightforward question. i would...
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he had one con stentious explanation with john mccain. >> were you correct or incorrect when you said that the surge would be the most dangerous foreign policy blunder had this country since vietnam? >> i'm not going to give you a yes or no. i think it's far more complicated than that. >> if confirmed, hagel, will replace leon panetta as defense secretary. he'd be the first vietnam veteran to hold that position. >>> at this hour, a search for a missing teenager in takoma park, maryland. this is a picture of 16-year-old vanessa hendersonment she was last seen on hudson avenue about noon yesterday. police believe she's wearing a gray sweatshirt, blue jeans and pink and black nike sneakers. she's about 5'6", 130 pounds and has a birthmark under her right eye. she has an acoustic guitar with her. if you have any information, call police. >>> virginia congressman jim moran's son will not face voter fraud charges in connection to his father's reelection bid. arlington county police and prosecutors say they will not charge patrick moran. an undercover video released in october showed him dis
he had one con stentious explanation with john mccain. >> were you correct or incorrect when you said that the surge would be the most dangerous foreign policy blunder had this country since vietnam? >> i'm not going to give you a yes or no. i think it's far more complicated than that. >> if confirmed, hagel, will replace leon panetta as defense secretary. he'd be the first vietnam veteran to hold that position. >>> at this hour, a search for a missing teenager in...
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[applause] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] >> john mccain's 2000 campaign when he ran for president is the most memorable campaign of any that i have ever covered. i mean it was just, we will never see it again and here he was you know facing george w. bush who had all the face cards of the republican party backing him and the three republican governors in new hampshire and all the money and john mccain held 114 and he stayed there until every question was answered. you could see the lightbulb going off in people's heads. when will we get the patients bill of rights and john mccain would say we are going to get a patients bill of rights. the democrats are owned by the trial orders. next question. it was just refreshing candor and you would see it in people's response and then he was totally open to the press. i mean there was a candor and openness and a welcome is that no one had seen before and no one certainly have seen since. >> now secretary of state hillary clinton on the u.s. role in the world. she's at the council of foreign relations today for now and will
[applause] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] >> john mccain's 2000 campaign when he ran for president is the most memorable campaign of any that i have ever covered. i mean it was just, we will never see it again and here he was you know facing george w. bush who had all the face cards of the republican party backing him and the three republican governors in new hampshire and all the money and john mccain held 114 and he stayed there until every question was answered....
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mitt romney barely won as many votes as john mccain did in 2008. if you compare preelection estimates to exit polls, what you find is 5 percentage points of independents didn't show up. so the party that actually figures out how to represent these independents, and my hunch is many of them are these social liberal voters is going to be ahead in the demographic race. that's why you saw smart democrats actually run functionally libertarian campaigns. notice democrats who won, they ran on fiscal issues and distanced themselves from the president. they stole the rhetoric of fiscal conservatives. this is also why you found republican candidates who won, they ran on fiscal issues but they didn't emphasize abortion. over time, i believe the party that embraces this libertarian center of the public will come ahead in the demographic battle. the second point i'd like to make is about the tea party. some people think the tea party lost the election particularly in the senate. and the argument goes something like that this n. 2010 there was kristine o'donnell
mitt romney barely won as many votes as john mccain did in 2008. if you compare preelection estimates to exit polls, what you find is 5 percentage points of independents didn't show up. so the party that actually figures out how to represent these independents, and my hunch is many of them are these social liberal voters is going to be ahead in the demographic race. that's why you saw smart democrats actually run functionally libertarian campaigns. notice democrats who won, they ran on fiscal...
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mitt romney barely won as many votes as john mccain did in 2008. if you compare preelection estimates to exit polls, what you find is 5 percentage points of independents didn't show up. so the party that actually figures out how to represent these independents, and my hunch is many of them are these social liberal voters is going to be ahead in the demographic race. that's why you saw smart democrats actually run functionally libertarian campaigns. notice democrats who won, they ran on fiscal issues and distanced themselves from the president. they stole the rhetoric of fiscal conservatives. this is also why you found republican candidates who won, they ran on fiscal issues but they didn't emphasize abortion. over time, i believe the party that embraces this libertarian center of the public will come ahead in the demographic battle. the second point i'd like to make is about the tea party. some people think the tea party lost the election particularly in the senate. and the argument goes something like that this n. 2010 there was kristine o'donnell
mitt romney barely won as many votes as john mccain did in 2008. if you compare preelection estimates to exit polls, what you find is 5 percentage points of independents didn't show up. so the party that actually figures out how to represent these independents, and my hunch is many of them are these social liberal voters is going to be ahead in the demographic race. that's why you saw smart democrats actually run functionally libertarian campaigns. notice democrats who won, they ran on fiscal...
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you follow in the steps of my dear, valued friend of so many years, john mccain. and the leadership of this committee throughout my 30 years of the senate has been drawn from the ranks of the strongest and the best of this membership. we have it today, and i have every reason to believe we will have it tomorrow. i have a very fortunate record of public service for many years. no chapter was more important than my service on this committee. you will carry with you the rest of your life the recollections of the work you have done for one of america's most valued assets, the men and women and their families of the armed services of the united states. i had written out a nice, long statement, and then last night, statement and's chuck hagel's statement, and i felt that another statement would not do. i would rather say a few words from the heart. i was in the navy. i did no more than any other kid on my block. we all went. good friends, we thank chuck hagel and mrs. hegel and his family. because if confirmed, is an enormous commitment by the family to this position. y
you follow in the steps of my dear, valued friend of so many years, john mccain. and the leadership of this committee throughout my 30 years of the senate has been drawn from the ranks of the strongest and the best of this membership. we have it today, and i have every reason to believe we will have it tomorrow. i have a very fortunate record of public service for many years. no chapter was more important than my service on this committee. you will carry with you the rest of your life the...